I'm Yours
by beautyofdarklips
Summary: After having lost her mother, April arrives to SGMW Hospital in search of her father, who's not even aware that she exists. How will everyone react to her arrival? As April is thrust into this whole new world, she will form lasting relationships with the doctors of SGMW. AU. Will change to rated M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, you guys! I'm back! I know I have no business starting another story, especially when I have another work in progress. However, this idea came into my head and I simply couldn't let it go! I had to start writing right away. Before we start, I do want to make some things clear. **

**IMPORTANT: Yes, this is an AU where April is Mark's daughter. There is an age difference between her and Jackson. The story does start when she is only a minor and romance will develop between them eventually. HOWEVER, all of that will happen when April is an adult, and almost entirely when she hits her 20s! I do not condone any forms of pedophilia or relationships between grown ass men and minors, so I'll certainly have none of that here. This will be a slow burn in the sense that April is still only 17 years old, but the some chapters will skip months or even years ahead as the story progresses. **

**Anyways, I won't keep you guys from the story any longer. Enjoy! -Mia**

**Chapter One**

April clutched the old photo of her parents—the only physical evidence of their relationship, besides herself—in her hands as she looked around the the lobby of the main entrance of Seattle Grace Hospital. She had a suitcase in her hand to carry what personal belongings she could bring from Chicago. Everything else was still tucked away in their old apartment. A queasy feeling settled into the pit of April's stomach. How was she supposed to go through with this? Before any doubts could over take her mind, she shook her head and reminded herself that she had seen far worse days during her 17 years of life thus far. She told herself to be brave. She reminded herself to be fierce like her mom would want her to be if she were here with April. She approached the front desk and asked the receptionist, "Hi, I was wondering if I could speak with Dr. Mark Sloan?"

"Honey, do you have an appointment with him?" The receptionist asked.

Before she could respond, a man with thick, black, wavy hair approached her with recognition in his eyes. "Audrey?" April was the spitting image of her mother.

April blanched. How did he know her mom's name? She quickly recovered from her shock and answered him. "No, I'm her daughter. I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"I'm Derek Shepard. I was a friend of your mother's back in college. How is she? What are you doing here?"

April chose to ignore his question about her mother, which didn't go unnoticed by Derek. "I'm actually looking for Dr. Mark Sloan. I was wondering if you could take me to him?"

Derek's eyebrows crinkled in momentary confusion, but he quickly did the mental math based on how old she looked. It couldn't be, could it? Derek quickly cleared his throat. He noted the suitcase behind April. This ought to be good. "Yes, I can take you to Mark. I know just where he is."

Derek guided her towards the elevators and pressed the number for the floor of the surgical unit. As they stood in the elevator, Derek attempted to make small talk with April, despire her stand-offish attitude. "So, where has Audrey been all this time?"

"Chicago."

"Hmm," Derek hummed in interest. As the elevator door opened, Derek guided April, as she dragged her suitcase with her. They came into the view of the nurse's station and April instantly recognized him when she saw him. He looked older, but still the same. He was flirting with a girl with brunette hair, who looked to be in her mid-20s. From their loud flirting, she surmised that the brunette was named Lexie and that she was in some sort of relationship with Mark. As Derek and she got closer to him, she cowered behind Derek's height.

Derek rolled his eyes at Mark flirting with Lexie. Derek cleared his throat to get Mark's attention. "Mark, I got a kid here who's been looking for you?"

The banter between Mark and Lexie paused and April braced herself. "Haha, very funny, Derek," Mark said dryly. "That prank's not going to work on me this time."

Derek smirked at him knowingly. "Oh, I think you would be very interested to know who's been looking for you." Derek stepped aside and, finally, April came into Mark's view.

He audibly gasped and the girl with brunette hair looked at him quizzically. "Audrey?" He whispered so lowly, that only Derek, Lexie and April heard him.

"Actually, my name is April. Audrey was my mother. I'm your daughter," she said loud enough for several people in their vicinity to hear her.

Mark frowned at her and just stared at her speechlessly for a few moments. He noticed that several nurses and residents were tuning into their conversation. He'd be damned if he, again, turned into the hospital's next gossip topic. He roughly grabbed April by her arm and took her to the conference room. He shut the door before turning back to look at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's simple," April said nonchalantly. "Audrey was my mother and you are my father."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen. I turn 18 in December." Mark did the mental math. That means she had been born in December of 1992. He and Audrey had broken up late March of that year. It couldn't be, could it?

"But, your name is April."

"My mom found out she was pregnant in April," April hesitated before she said the next part. "She met you in April of 1990. She chose to name me April to honor those two things."

"I hate to break it to you, kid, but there is a slim possibility of me being your father. Your mother and I broke up in March." She showed him the picture she had been holding in her hand all this time.

Mark took a quick look at the vintage photo and shook his head at her. "A picture doesn't prove anything. Your father could very well be some other man. Audrey can't just dump her daughter on me now and expect me to take responsibility." He said harshly.

In that moment, April snapped. This had been a mistake. She shouldn't have made the effort of tracking down Mark Sloan and traveling to Seattle to finally meet him. "Don't speak of my mother like that!" She shouted at him.

Mark paused and noticed that the blinds of the conference room were still left open and every staff member of the surgical department watched the scene with open curiosity. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had to control the situation somehow, but he didn't know how to deal with a raging teenager.

"Look, I shouldn't have been rude. If I am your father, and that is a big IF, why is your mother making your presence known to me now? After all these years? It just doesn't make sense."

"It wasn't her fucking choice!" April snapped, not liking the still apparent accusation in his tone.

Mark rolled his eyes at her outburst. Her fiery attitude reminded him of Audrey when she used to get mad him during their relationship. "You need to explain yourself properly instead of snapping at me!"

April took a deep breath for a long moment before continuing. "My mother…she had been battling breast cancer for four years…and she lost that battle two weeks ago." April's voice cracked and Mark instantly felt like shit for making a young girl cry even if he wasn't sure if she really was his daughter or not. His heart dropped when he heard of Audrey's passing. "She never meant to bother you. My mom was always clear that I was her daughter, but now…" April paused again. "I'm left in this world alone with no where else to go." Another tear slipped out of April's eyes. "She only told me about you three months ago, when it became clear that she wasn't going to make it. We have no other family and she didn't want me to be alone. So, she told me to find you if she were to pass, so I would still have somone. But I guess, my mom was wrong all along, wasn't she? I turn 18 in a few months and I was only going to ask to stay with you until then. I didn't want to bother you and insert myself into your life either. But I guess it was all a fucking waste in the end anyway, right?" April hazardly attempted to wipe her tears and yanked the door of the conference door open. She didn't even want to hear what Mark had to say in response. She already knew her face was red and splotchy from her crying. She walked back out into the lobby of the surgical floor and noticed that many people were quizzically staring at her. Her cheeks flushed further red with embarrassment. She quickly grabbed her suitcase and fled. Thankfully, the elevator was free, so she quickly escaped into it and hit the button for the ground floor. As she exited the elevators, April wondered where she could go from here. She didn't have a place to stay. She was still a minor, so there was no way she would even be able to reserve a hotel room under her name. Where would she sleep tonight? She would need some time to organize her thoughts and book a flight back to Chicago. Could she get away with living on her own until she became a legal adult? A million thoughts started to spin in her mind and she became dizzy. A pair of arms quickly caught her before she could fall over.

Mark remained in the conference room in a state of shock. Derek quickly walked in and tentatively approached Mark. "What's going on, Mark?"

When Mark replied, his voice cracked. "I think—I think she really is Audrey and my daughter and….Audrey is dead. That little girl has no one anymore…except for me as a deadbeat dad."

"Well, where did she go?"

"I don't know. I made her so angry, that she just left."

Derek blanched. "You have to go after her, Mark! She's just a kid and she doesn't have anyone, except for you!"

Mark simply stood in shock, still unresponsive to Derek's words. Sensing that his friend was still in shock, Derek left him and went after April, hoping to salvage the situation for his friend.

After the long wait in line at the coffee cart, Jackson and Alex were finally handed their coffees. Alex checked his phone and his eyes nearly bulged out. "Dude, we need to get back to the surgical floor now! You would not believe what Yang just texted me," Alex said to Jackson.

"What? Is there some new, exciting case?" Jackson replied as they made their way towards the elevator.

"No, even better."

"Then what?"

"Sloan's kid just showed up and wreaked havoc."

"You're kidding!"

"Maybe Lexie will dump Sloan and you'll finally get a shot with her," Alex suggested. Jackson rolled his eyes at Alex and shoved his shoulder in response.

As the elevator doors opened, Jackson noticed a girl with beautiful, red hair exit with a suitcase in hand. There was something about her that seemed compelling to Jackson. She paused outside the elevator doors and she looked lost. He noticed that she looked visibly distraught. Alex had already entered the elevators and called out to Jackson. "Hey, man! You still coming up?"

Just as Jackson was about to respond and enter the elevators, he noticed that she started to wobble on her feet. As she passed out and fell over, Jackson caught her before she could hit the floor. Alex rushed out to help Jackson and grabbed his coffee from his hand before he spilled it on himself or the girl as he balanced her weight. The elevator adjacent to the one Alex had been in opened and Derek rushed out when he saw Jackson and April.

"Shit! What the hell happened?" Derek swore as he saw what happened.

"I don't know. She started wobbling on her feet and passed out before I could even ask if she was okay. Her pulse is normal," Jackson reported to Derek.

"Okay, Avery. You're coming with me to the pediatric ward. Karev, you need to page Mark and tell him to meet me there."

"Dr. Shepard, this is hardly a plastics case," Alex argued.

"Don't question me and just do as I ask, Alex!" Derek said exasperatedly as he and Jackson went into the elevator.

Jackson looked down at the girl in his arms with confusion. "Dr. Shepard, who is this girl?"

Derek sighed deeply before replying. "She's…Mark's daughter. Her name is April and she's around 17 years old. I don't know anything else."

When Jackson and Derek arrived at the pediatric ward, Arizona and a nurse were aleady waiting as Derek had paged on the way up.

"Is this her? Callie already texted me what happened."

"Yeah, this is her. News here always travels so fast. It's literally been minutes," Derek replied.

Arizona chuckled softly. "Have you paged Mark?"

Jackson spoke up this time. "Alex paged him. He should be arriving any moment."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Mark walked in just as they were talking about him. "What the hell happened?"

Jackson calmly explained to him. "Alex and I were downstairs, getting coffee. She walked out of the elevator just as we were getting in. I noticed that she looked a little dizzy and wobbly on her feet. She lost consciousness and I caught her before she could hit the floor. Dr. Shepard found us and directed us here."

Mark became panic stricken. "Her mother lost her battle to breast cancer and I have family history of leukemia on my father's side. You don't think…?"

Arizona spoke up as she listened to April's heart and lung sounds using her stethoscope. "Mark, we'll do a full physical exam to make sure everything's okay. I'll have the nurse draw blood for a full work up and start an IV. You guys should should step out. We're going to change her into a gown."

The three men exited the hospital room. Mark leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in defeat. "It's day one and I've already fucked up."

Derek patted his shoulder. "It's not your fault, man."

Mark stook up straight and instantly changed his demeanor. "You're right, but now I need to be better and I need to take responsibility for her." Mark paused and looked at Jackson. "Avery, I need you to check my post-ops. Have Sutherland do the breast augmentation and rhinoplasty I had scheduled for the afternoon. They're fairly routine anyway. Tell him that you will be assisting him."

"Right away, Dr. Sloan," Jackson replied Before walking away, he looked back at the door of April's hospital room and pursed his lips. He really hoped that she was okay.

Slowly, April opened her eyes. She groaned. She had been utterly exhausted for the last two weeks with her mother's death, the funeral and then trying to track down her father. As her eyes came into focus, she realized that her father was sitting in the lone chair in her room. She groaned as he noticed that she had regained consciousness. He called out to the nurse to page Arizona.

"How are you feeling now?"

April rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm fine. You don't need to show me your fake concern."

"Listen, April. I really didn't…"

Before Mark could continue, Arizona walked in with Derek and Teddy.

"Hey, April! I'm so glad you're awake! We were all so worried for you. I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins, head of pediatric surgery, and this is Dr. Teddy Altman, head of cardiothoracic surgery, and Dr. Derek Shepard, head of neurosurgery and the chief of surgery. We want to make sure that you didn't lose consciousness due to a neurological or cardiac issue. Your father insisted that you receive the best care we have to offer. Has this happened before? Do you have a history of fainting spells?"

"No."

Teddy spoke up this time. "Do you have a history of heart palpitations or tachycardia?"

"No. Look, I'm sorry that he dragged all of you away from your incredibly important jobs, but I'm fine. So, if you could just discharge me, I'll be on my way out."

"Your lab work up came back and your blood glucose and electrolytes were alarmingly low. It's likely that you lost consciousness due to your dehydration and low blood sugar, but we just want to make sure that we cover all of our bases. We'll still take an EKG and MRI to make sure every small possibility is negative. We don't want to take any chances with Mark's daughter." Derek said.

Mark spoke up this time with worry in his eyes. "April, when is the last time you ate or even had a sip of water?"

April rolled at her eyes. "You don't need to pity me. There's just been a lot going on for the last few days, and I guess I forgot to eat or drink water. It's not a big deal. I'm not starving or malnourished or anything like that. Despite being sick for so long, my mom always took care of me and I'm privileged to say that money was never a concern for me while growing up. So, don't think that I'm your charity case."

Arizona nudged Teddy and they left the room, sensing the tension between Mark and April. Derek remained to ease the tension between his friend and his daughter. "April, no one is accusing your mother of never being able to take care of you and no one said you're malnourished. I'm going to take care of you from now on."

April scoffed. "Look, I can take a hint. You want me gone, so I'll leave. I'm not going to force my way into your life."

"What nonsense is that! You're not forcing your way in and nobody wants you gone! I'm going to take responsibility and take care of you. You'll live with me from now!" Mark argued.

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I can handle myself!"

"If you could handle yourself, then you wouldn't have fainted in the first place," Mark yelled and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Okay, we all need to take a deep breath and calm down. April, you don't need to stay with Mark if you don't want to, but you do need somone to take care of you. You can stay with my wife and me at our house for as long as you'd like. When the all of the labs and imaging come back and everything checks out, we'll have you discharged and I'll take you home."

April gave him a small, timid smile. "Thank you, Dr. Shepard."

"You can call me Derek. We're family now." April gave him a questioning look. "I've known your father for practically all of our lives. We're like brothers. I actually knew your mother too, you know."

April side eyed her father. Derek was so sweet. She had no clue how someone as nice as him could be best friends with her father. "Could I rest a little longer? I'm exhausted," April said, hoping they would take the hint and leave her alone for some time.

"Sure, I'll come by and check on you later," Derek replied. He grabbed Mark and existed the room.

April's head hit the pillow and she laid back down. She sighed deeply. What had she just gotten herself into?

**A/N: So what did you guys think? Please let me know in the review! April may seem a little OOC for now, but you'll still see that I incorporate canon elements everywhere. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, you guys! Wow, I'm amazed by the response to the first chapter! I was not expecting that! Thank you so much! One thing I want to add that I haven't clarified before is that Jackson is a part of the original group of interns. In this story, it just flows better to have him already be friends with everyone since this takes place during the beginning of Season 6 when Sloan's daughter showed up in canon. Anyways, let me know what you think after you read this chapter! –Mia **

**Chapter Two **

When Derek had first told Meredith that April would be staying with them until further notice, she threw a fit. Why should she take in Mark's daughter, who would likely be the cause of the end of her sister's relationship? She had wanted for Mark to stay away from Lexie in the first place and the possibility of a situation like this arising had been precisely why. But then, Derek had told her April's story, how she had been taking care of her sick mother for the past several years, how her mother had passed away, and that she truly had no one else. That made Meredith cave, reminding her of her own struggles with taking care of her mother for years after her Alzheimer's diagnosis. On top of that, April was still a child. How could she handle everything at such a tender age? Meredith hated to admit it, but she truly wanted to help the girl. April didn't deserve any of this, and it wasn't her fault that Mark Sloan was her father. Meredith knew it was the right thing to do, so then she readily agreed with Derek to take in April.

That's how April found herself being given a tour of the house that Derek and Meredith shared with their housemates. April shyly followed Derek and his wife, Meredith Grey, around their house as they gave her a tour. April was confused why a married couple was living with housemates. They were surgeons; surely they could afford a house of their own. Meredith had explained the house was hers, but that she allowed her friends to live with her. She and Derek were currently having their own house built, and the only other current housemate were Jackson and Alex. Meredith had pointed out two different rooms why had previously been occupied by two people named George and Izzie, but Meredith didn't offer them up to April for some reason. They almost seemed sacred to her. They arrived at another empty bedroom. "You can stay here. It used to be Lexie's," Meredith explained.

"Lexie…?" April questioned. Wasn't that the girl who had been flirting with her father at the hospital?

"Lexie's my younger sister. She used to live here, but she moved out a couple of months ago…" Meredith hesitated before she continued. "She lives with Mark now."

April looked at Derek for an explanation. "Lexie is Mark's girlfriend," he quickly said.

April nodded her head in response. Well, that was confirmation of what she had already surmised from their interaction that she had witnessed.

April ate dinner with Meredith and Derek alone. Apparently, their other housemates were still working shifts at the hospital. Meredith and Derek had made conversation with her during dinner, asking about her life with her mother in Chicago while avoiding any sensitive topics. April was thankful for that. Everything was still raw and new to her. After her encounter with her father earlier in the day, she wasn't ready to talk about anything just yet. After dinner, April excused herself to the room that Meredith had shown to her, feigning that she was tired from her travels and the events of the day. When she got to her room, April changed into pajamas and hid herself under the covers. For the first time, she allowed herself to process everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks. She felt alone and lost. She was hundreds of miles away from the home she had had with her mom in Chicago. Despite finding her father, she felt truly alone. Her chest physically hurt from holding everything in. She used her pillow to muffle her sobs as she cried herself to sleep.

The noises from downstairs woke her up early the next morning. She could hear chatter and the sizzle of the pan as something was being cooked, but it smelled awful. When April went to go brush her teeth in the bathroom, she groaned as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying the entire night. She splattered some cold water on to her face, willing the puffiness and redness to go away. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to face the people downstairs. She was so thankful to Derek and Meredith for taking her in during her time of need. They had been nothing short of kind and understanding.

As April softly padded down the stairs, she noticed a sleeping figure on the couch in the living room. Who had crashed down here when there were unoccupied rooms upstairs? As April got closer, she realized who it was. Lexie. She was still asleep, so April took extra care to not disturb her. What did this mean? Hadn't Meredith said that Lexie now lived with her father? Then, what had happened? Then, the realization dawned on April. Lexie had likely gotten into an argument with her father over April's arrival. April instantly felt terrible. She knew that her unwanted presence had wreaked havoc on their otherwise peaceful lives. April just hoped that she could swiftly make her exit soon once she turned 18, so she could no longer be such an inconvenience.

When she heard the hushed voices from outside the kitchen, April stopped to listen. "What happened last night? Why did Lex crash here?" April instantly recognized the voice as Meredith's.

"We were at Joe's and she got too drunk. Earlier, she had gotten into an argument with Sloan about his kid. She was upset and drank too much," a gruff male voice said.

"Look, we couldn't just leave her there and we tried to take her back to their apartment. She refused to go, so we just brought her here with us," a much smoother male voice added.

Derek sighed. "No, you guys did the right thing. She just needs some time to cool off."

"Mer, who was in Lexie's room last night? She tried to get in, but the door was locked," the smooth voice asked.

"Oh, um, April is staying with us for the time being. She's using Lexie's old room." Meredith explained.

"Oh, that explained the noises," the gruff voice said, this time with food in his mouth.

"What noises?" Derek asked. April's heart hammered in her chest. She couldn't let everyone know that she had cried herself to sleep. The situation on her face was plenty of evidence, but she didn't need witnesses giving testimonies of her breakdown.

Before anyone could say anything more, April decided to make her presence known to do some damage control. "Good morning, everyone," April shyly called out as she walked into the kitchen and dining area. Everyone turned to look at her. April didn't recognize the two occupants of the breakfast bar. Meredith was the one to introduce them. "April, this is Alex and Jackson. They're our housemates. They're both third year residents like me."

"Jackson was actually the one who caught you when you fainted yesterday," Derek said.

For the first time, April looked at Jackson and her breath left her when she looked into his eyes. In the light, April was not sure if his eyes were blue or green. They looked to be a perfect mixture of the azure of the deep ocean and the green of the mossy forest. When April realized that she had been staring, she simultaneously blushed and started chewing on her bottom lip in nervousness. Jackson smiled at her and brought his hand up to shake hers and introduce himself. April brought her hand up and marveled at how his large hand engulfed hers. "Hey, I'm Jackson Avery. Nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm April Kepner. Thanks for saving my life."

"Kepner?" The other man, who April assumed to be Alex, asked.

"Ah, yeah. My mom gave me her last name," April explained.

"April, take a seat. I made you some breakfast," Meredith said. April took a seat in the only empty chair at the breakfast bar, which was between Jackson and Alex. When Meredith placed the plate in front of April, she realized what had been that god-awful smell. It looked to be some odd concoction of eggs, avocado and cheese, but it didn't look right. April thanked Meredith for the breakfast, not wanting to seem rude. April picked up her fork and pursed her lips as she tried to discern the contents of the plate. Meredith and Derek fell into a conversation and April glumly wondered if there was any way she could sneak away with throwing out the food.

Jackson leaned over to whisper into April's ear, and she froze at his close proximity. "You know, you're going to get food poisoning if you eat that and me saving your life will all be for nothing. Meredith can't cook to save her life." His voice was so smooth, like jazz. April nervously swallowed and looked at him.

"What do you propose I do about this then?" April asked.

Before Jackson could continue, Lexie walked in and groaned loudly. "Mer, I have the worst hangover of my life. Mark and I got into a terrible fight last night. I feel like my head is about implode and, on top of that, I couldn't even sleep in my own bed last night. What the hell happened to my room?" Lexie said she clutched her head. Her eyes were still closed, so she hadn't yet noticed April's presence in the kitchen.

Meredith cleared her throat. "Lex, good morning. I can make you some breakfast. Have you met April yet? She's going to stay with Derek and me for a few days."

Lexie and April simply looked at each other. There was neither animosity, nor accusation in the look Lexie gave April. Her eyes simply bore into April's, trying to get a gauge of the younger girl. Everyone else in the kitchen observed the girls in silence. The tension in the room was palpable. Finally, Lexie broke the silence. She spoke to April first. "You shouldn't eat that garbage. Mer means well, but her cooking is disgusting and inedible."

Meredith rolled her eyes in response. She grabbed April's plate and dumped it into the sink's dispenser. She placed a bowl of milk in front of April so she could help herself to some cereal. "You didn't have any issue with eating my food the last time I cooked for you," Meredith grumbled.

"Okay, first of all I'm allergic to eggs to I had to have George give me epi to keep me from going into anaphylactic shock. Second of all, you suck at cooking and I got food poisoning anyways." Lexie grabbed a bowl of milk for herself and settled herself at the kitchen table, next to Derek. Soft murmurings of conversation returned to the kitchen, but there was still palpable tension in the air. Slowly, Alex, Jackson, Meredith and Derek trickled out of the kitchen after they finished their breakfast. After all, they needed to get ready for work or else they'd be late. April turned around her chair and faced Lexie, who was still eating breakfast and reading the morning newspaper. "Lexie, can we talk?" April timidly called out.

"Sure, what's up?" Lexie put down her newspaper and took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't want my presence to cause any disruptions to your life with my dad. My intention in coming here was not to claim my long lost last daddy or anything like that. I can't really take care of myself right now and I don't have anyone else. I turn 18 in two months. My mom left everything in a trust fund, so really I can't take care of myself until I'm an adult. Once that happens, I'll leave and never bother you guys again. It'll be like I never existed in my father's life again."

Lexie instantly felt terrible for giving April that impression. She had been in the girl's shoes when she had lost her own mother and had tried to reconnect with Meredith, her long lost sister. How could she make April feel like an outsider? She sighed. "April, no one wants you gone from here, least of all your dad. I don't want you to think that you're causing a disruption to his life or that you're a nuisance. Your dad is not going to kick you out once you turn 18 and I won't allow it. He wants a real chance to build a relationship with you."

April looked at the floor and nodded, slowly comprehending Lexie's words. "He was really mean yesterday. He didn't even believe he was my father at first, you know."

"I know, and he's really sorry about that. It was a lot for him to take in all at once," Lexie pursed her lips, wondering if she should say the next part. "Your father…he's not the most emotionally mature person. It takes some time for him to truly trust and accept a person's importance in his life. He didn't react well yesterday, but I know that he wants to get to know you."

April nodded in response. "If you don't mind me asking, what…what did you and my dad fight about last night?"

"I…I'm not ready to be a mother. I'm not sure if I can be what Mark wants me to be right now," Lexie tentatively said.

"I don't need a mother. I had a mother and no one can replace her." Lexie slowly nodded in response. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you exactly, Lexie?"

"I'm 25 years old."

April nodded. Lexie was 14 years younger than her father. With her own age of 17, she was closer in age to Lexie. "I don't have any friends and I could really use one right now."

Lexie slowly smiled in response. "I can be your friend."

April smiled back at her. "Good."

Derek peaked into the kitchen. "Oh, good. You're both alive. Lex, we're gonna head out soon. Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to go freshen up really quickly." Lexie left the kitchen, leaving April and Derek alone.

"We've all got work today, so you're going to be on your own today. Do you think you'll be fine?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Derek. I'm not a kid."

Derek chuckled in response. "Right. I still can't believe Mark has a grown-up daughter. We'll likely take you tomorrow or the day after to the local high school to get you registered there. What are you going to be up to today?"

"I have to finish submitting a few last college applications."

Derek wished her luck and headed out with the others.

In the evening, April sat on the couch in the living room and watched some TV. Derek opened the front door and Meredith followed in behind. April greeted them. "Hey, April. There's actually someone here to visit you." That's when Mark walked through the front door. April took in a deep breath. She prepared herself to talk to her father. They decided to talk out on the swing on the front porch. April stayed silent, waiting for her father to talk first.

"April, again, I want to apologize for my reaction yesterday. I know it wasn't fair of me and nothing excuses it."

April nodded in response, willing herself to accept his words. She didn't know if she could trust him immediately.

Mark continued. "When you were growing up…didn't you ever wonder about your father?"

April nodded. "When I was younger, I'd ask mom about it when I'd see the other kids at school with their fathers. She'd always tell me that I was special—that I was _her _girl. When I got older, to middle school, I started understanding things more. Obviously, I had a father somewhere in the world, but I was too scared to ask my mom about it. Towards the end of 8th grade, she got sick. I didn't want to upset her by asking about you again, you know? But then, a few months ago, it became clear that my mom wasn't going to make it. I was going to be left alone in the world with no one, so she finally told me about you."

"April, I want you to know that I never abandoned you. Hell, I didn't even know about you until yesterday. Your mother and I broke up in March, a month before we were going to graduate from college. She never told me and I don't know why she never did. Probably, because I don't think I was ready to have a kid and your mother knew that. However, I want to try now, April. I want to make things right. Come home with me. Please don't think that this is temporary. You're not going anywhere when you turn 18. I'm going to take of you from now on. You're my daughter."

Derek and Meredith sat on the coach, watching April and Mark talking through the window. A lone tear escaped Meredith's right eye. Derek blanched at her reaction. She hardly ever cried. "What's wrong, Meredith?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that the swing has never been occupied by a father and daughter with a healthy relationship and I hope that they're the exception to that rule."

Derek nodded and kissed her temple. "I think you're going to be surprised by Mark. It doesn't look like it, but he can rise to the occasion when it's needed of him. Lexie and April are going to be okay with him."


End file.
